Scenario the Haunted

8/13/2019 Scenario the Haunted

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Keeper Information

Welcome to The Haunted , a sequel to Chaosiums classic introductory adventure, The Haunting . Keepers can find the The Haunting in any edition of the core Call of Cthulhu rules, or even in Chaosiums Call of Cthulhu Quick Start Rules pdf, available for free atwww.Chaosium.com. Older editions of the rules have the adventure titled as The HauntedHouse, but that name was changed to avoid confusion with another adventure. As this adventureis a sequel, it is strongly recommended that Keepers run their investigators through The

Haunting first. The author of this adventure has made the assumption that any Keeper running itis familiar with the original adventure, and sometimes makes reference to it in this adventure. Itis assumed that the Keeper ran The Haunting in the classic 1920s Call of Cthulhu setting, thusthis adventure will be run in the same time period. Both adventures can be reconfigured to be runin other time periods, but those adjustments are not covered in this document. Most everything inthis document is meant for the Keepers eyes only, but some parts are meant to be read aloud tothe investigators. Text meant to be read aloud is italicized , with any game mechanics being

bolded .

The Haunted is the investigation for missing boys, Faustino and Francesco Macario, the ten-year old twins of Vittorio and Gabriela Macario. The Macarios were the last family to live inWalter Corbitts haunted house. Unbeknownst to all, the undead fiend, Walter Corbitt, transferreda piece of his mind into Francesco Macario in an attempt to have himself reborn, just in casehis efforts to ascend into an immortal being failed, (as it eventually did).

Involving the Investigators

The investigators notice an article in the newspaper in the national news section, (PlayerHandout #1); the articles headline says, More Lost Baltimore Boys . The article reads:

The Baltimore, MD, police department has called off the most recent search for missing boys.Ten-year old twins, Faustino and Francesco Macario, were reported missing by their guardians,

Enzo and Maria Giordano, one week ago. Detective John Clark added the Macario names to a growing list of missing boys in the Baltimore area. According to Det. Clark, Its my belief thatother than Mr. Farnsworth, all of these boys are runaways. Theyll all return home once theyrehungry enough.

Maria Giordano said, Its possible that they mayve runaway to Boston. I pray every day fortheir safe return. Faustino and Francescos parents, Vittorio and Gabriela Macario, werecommitted to the Roxbury Sanitarium after an incident in their home. Maria is sister to Gabriela.

Desperate for the boys to come home, the Giordanos are offering a reward for their safe return.If anyone can help us find Faustino and Francesco safe and sound, were prepared to pay themour entire lifes savings, $550 dollars, says Mr. Giordano.

THE HAUNTEDBy Jon Hook

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Give the players Player Handout #1 at the very beginning of the adventure; use it to kick-off thegame. Because the investigators previously participated in The Haunting , the Keeper canremind them that the Macario family was the last to live in Walter Corbitts house; making thisadventure a kind of closure to that investigation. Also, the base motivation of a monetary

reward should be enough to draw them into this adventure.

The following scenes for this adventure are listed in the order that seemed the most organic bythe author for the investigation of the story, but Keepers should not feel constrained by the orderof these events. As experienced Keepers know, it is a rare thing indeed when the investigatorsactually follow the pre-conceived order of events within a Call of Cthulhu adventure. Each sceneis fully described by the author, and also gives suggestions on how to leverage the informationavailable in that scene should the investigators circumvent it.

The Boston Globe

The investigators might bite on the clue in the Player Handout #1 newspaper article about a Mr.Farnsworth. If they want to view the Boston Globes newspaper morgue, they will need asuccessful Fast Talk or Persuade roll to get in. Any investigator with the occupation ofJournalist will get +20% bonus to their skill check, unless they are a staff member for the BostonGlobe , in which case they gain access to the morgue automatically. Any investigator with theoccupation of Dilettante may make a Credit Rating roll instead of the Fast Talk or Persuadecheck to try and gain entry to the morgue. Also, if any investigator has previously visited this

particular morgue, they will get a +5% bonus to their skill roll.

Once the investigators have gained access to the morgue, they will need to make a successfulLibrary Use roll to find the article in question about Mr. Farnsworth, (Player Handout #2). Thearticle they find is two weeks old, and the headline says, Gruesome Murder! The article reads:

Baltimore police have positively identified the body of Wesley Farnsworth, 12 years old. Discovered in Chesapeake Bay on Thursday morning, 10 oclock, by Mr. Rudy Greer, acommercial fisherman. I was steaming back to harbor in need of repairs, when I saw somethingin the water ahead of the bow. Figured it for a buoy that come loose from its moorings, but as I

pulled alongside it became clear that it was no buoy I found, said Mr. Greer.

Detective John Clark, the detective in charge of the case, released the following statement, I amable to confirm for you today that the body of young Mr. Farnsworth was found. We are notreleasing the details of his death, other than to say that it was a murder most foul. The people of

Baltimore have my word that I will stop at nothing to bring the Farnsworth family the justicethey deserve.


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huge hulking orderlies show-up before the doctors do, and Ms. Brown orders them to kick theinvestigators out. Each orderly has STR 18 , and investigators will have to match against them onthe Resistance Table if they still resist leaving.

Conversely, if the investigators ask to meet with Gabrielas doctor, Dr. Malcolm Lindsey, Ms.

Brown can arrange that meeting with a simple Fast Talk or non-bribed Persuade roll. Dr.Lindsey is happy to talk to them in generalities, but will not discuss specific details aboutGabrielas illness or care. A successful Psychology roll will endear Dr. Lindsey to theinvestigators for their obvious knowledge in the field of psychology; investigators with theoccupation of Psychologist get a +20% bonus on this roll. He will share with them that Gabrielascreams every night about the safety of her children; that It has them. She is quite distraughtover the safety of her children. Dr. Lindsey is concerned about the staff of the hospital, becauseobviously someone is leaking news to her about her missing children.

If the investigators try to convince Dr. Lindsey to let them meet with Gabriela, they may try

either Fast Talk or Persuade at half their value, (as a penalty). Dr. Lindsey is a professional, soit is very difficult to convince him to bend the rules. If they are successful though, they willexperience the same event with Gabriela noted above, but it will be Dr. Lindsey that escorts themto her cell, and he will escort them off the premises through the front door after she dies.

If the investigators fail to visit the sanitarium, the Keeper can have them overhear a report on theradio about Vittorios recent suicide and Gabrielas sudden fatal heart attack.

Traveling to Baltimore

The investigators may either drive to Baltimore, or take the train. It will take 30 hours to drivethere, versus only 18 hours by train. A one-way ticket to Baltimore from Boston is $1.50 per

person. Assuming the investigators are traveling by train, they may talk with the conductor. TheKeeper may grant an Idea roll to give them the idea that the conductor might know somethingabout how the railroad checks their trains for hobos who try to ride the rails for free. A successfulCredit Rating roll will remind the conductor of his duty to be a service to the passengers. Hewill tell them that contrary to popular belief, the railroad is very good about ferreting out the riff-raff that try to hop the rails either on passenger trains or freight trains. If the investigators voicetheir concern about the boys possibly making their way to Boston illegally by rail, then the

conductor will excuse himself to go to the radio room. Hell check with his supervisors to see ifany of the rail lines have picked-up any boys recently. The conductor will return a half hour laterwith information about a dozen people caught hiding on a train, (usually in a freight trains boxcar), but none of them are twin ten-year old boys.

If the investigators are driving to Baltimore, then on the morning of their second day driving,they pick-up a newspaper with an article that notes that due to the rash of runaways from theBaltimore area, that the railroads have stepped-up their investigations for hobos riding the rails.


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And while several people have been caught trying to stowaway on the trains, none have metdescriptions for any of the reportedly missing boys.

Arriving in Baltimore

When the investigators arrive into Baltimore, whether by train or automobile, they will need todecide on what course of action to take. The logical course of action is to either visit theGiordano home or Det. Clark. Or, they might want to do a public library or newspaper morguesearch, or maybe secure a hotel room to use a base of operations. The Giordano, Det. Clark,

public library, and newspaper morgue scenes are detailed below; if the investigators choose tofind lodgings, then the Keeper can ad-hoc role-play any appropriate type of room and board, andits cost, for them.

The Baltimore Sun

The Baltimore Sun building is located in downtown Baltimore, and is not located on the provided map of Colonial Cove, (Game Map #1). If the investigators did not look for, orsuccessfully find, the newspaper article on Wesley Farnsworth, (Player Handout #2); then theymay do so again at The Baltimore Sun. The same skill checks and possible bonuses noted in TheBoston Globe scene above to find the article also apply in this scene. And again, not collectingthis article should not jeopardize the investigators ability to complete this adventure. There areno other articles of note to find in The Sun morgue, but a successful Library Use roll will alsogive the investigators the home address of the Giordano family.

Baltimore Public Library

The library is location B on the Colonial Cove map, (Game Map #1). Again, it is possible tofind the newspaper article on Wesley Farnsworth in some of the archived newspapers in thelibrary. A simple Library Use roll is all that is need to find it. And another Library Use checkwill also reveal the Giordanos home address in a stack of public housing records. There isnothing else to find in the library.

Det. John Clark

The police station is location A on the Colonial Cove map, (Game Map #1). Finding theBaltimore Police Department is as easy as asking a common beat-cop for directions, but meetingwith Det. Clark is a little more difficult. If the investigators call ahead to the police station, theyreach Officer Donald McLeod, and they may try to schedule an appointment to meet with Det.Clark through him. A successful Credit Rating roll will grant the investigators a meeting with


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him on the next morning; while a critically successful roll grants an immediate meeting withhim.

If they dont call ahead, and just go directly to the station, they meet Officer McLeod as heworks the front desk. The police station is a bee hive of activity as the investigators observe lots

of uniformed police officers bustling about, to and fro. The activity in the station is alreadychaotic enough for Officer McLeod, so if the investigators just show up looking for Det. Clark,they suffer a -10% penalty to their Credit Rating roll. No other officers have the time orinclination to help the investigators, so they will have to wait for Det. Clark to become available.

Once Det. Clark becomes available, he invites the investigators to meet with him in his office.Because of the successful Credit Rating roll required to get the appointment with Det. Clark, healready knows that the investigators have some level of clout. What he doesnt know is what theywant.

Det. Clarks office is a private office just off the main squad room where all of the regularofficers have their desks. His office has a couple of large windows that look into the squad room,and those windows have aluminum blinds on them. His door has a large frosted window on itwith is name stenciled on the glass. Two other windows look outside, and a single-bulb lightfixture with a wire grill hangs from the ceiling over his desk. His desk has a large black phone inone corner and a heavy metal typewriter in the other. Det. Clark is sitting in a wooden swiveldesk chair, and two regular wooden chairs sit in front of his desk.

The investigators are escorted to Det. Clarks office by a rookie cop on his first week of duty. Asthe investigators enter the office, they see Det. Clark scoop some paperwork together in a heap,

put the heap into a manila folder, and then close the folder. Det. Clark looks up and says, Lets get right down to business. Who are you, and what can I do for you? If the investigators arehonest about why they are in Baltimore, then the detective tries to assure them that he asthoroughly investigated the boys disappearances, and is confident that they are just runawaysthat will soon be coming home.

If the investigators ask Det. Clark about the murder of Wesley Farnsworth, they will need make asuccessful Fast Talk or Persuade roll; investigators with any kind of police officer or detectiveoccupation gets a +20% bonus to their roll. Conversely, investigators with any kind of journalistor writer occupation, (and Det. Clark has been informed that they are a journalist or writer), get a-10% penalty to their roll because Det. Clark is actively withholding information about this casefrom the public until he can solve it.

With the successful Fast Talk or Persuade roll, Det. Clark tells them, Im still looking for the fiends that murdered that poor boy. The autopsy confirmed that the boy fought his attackersbefore being cut to ribbons. As near as I can tell, the boy was jumped by an unknown number ofattackers armed with crude home-made knives that inflicted jagged cuts similar to claw marks,but much larger than any kind of animal attack, unless he was attacked by a bear. He adds


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under his breath. Ive tried to carefully retraced Mr. Farnsworths final actions, and I suspectthat once he was attacked, Mr. Farnsworth made a break for the bay. Probably hoping to swimaway. Unfortunately, his murderers hit an artery during their attack, so it was only a matter oftime before he would die.

Det. Clark will only share the actual case file with other law enforcements people, and only ifthat investigator is critically successful on a new Credit Rating roll. Anyone viewing the casefile photos of Wesley Farnsworths mutilated body needs to make a 0/1d2 Sanity check. Anyoneviewing the open case file may attempt either a Library Use or Spot Hidden roll, whichever ishigher, but anyone who tries to glance at the hurriedly closed case file folder on the desk mayattempt a simple Spot Hidden check. With a successful check, (Library Use or Spot Hidden), theinvestigator notices a circled and hand-written note that says Colonial Cove .

If asked, Det. Clark will admit that he has not yet figured out where the actual attack againstWesley Farnsworth took place, but he believes it might have taken place somewhere in Colonial

Cove. Det. Clark warns the investigators to keep their noses out of his investigation, and forthem to stick to looking for the Macario boys.

The Giordano Home

The Giordano home is location C on the Colonial Cove map, (Game Map #1). Theinvestigators can discover the Giordano home address in a number of ways. They can use thelibrary, the newspaper morgue, or simply pick up a phone and ask the switchboard operator; inthe 1920s no one was concerned about keeping their home address secretive. Whether the

investigators call ahead or not, Enzo and Maria Giordano are available to meet with theinvestigators immediately, (no skill roll needed).

The Giordanos, Enzo, (a teamster driver), and Maria, (a homemaker), are beside themselves withworry. Enzo has been off work the entire time that the boys have been gone, and their house is awreck as Maria has given up trying to clean-up until the boys come home. The Giordanoswelcome any help possible to find the boys; they provide the investigators with a photo of thetwo boys, (Player Handout #3).

If the investigators are interested, they may try a Psychology check; a successful roll informs the

investigator that the Giordanos grief and worry is genuine, and that they are not holding backany information about the disappearance of the boys. Investigators that want to try and ease of oftheir grief may try another Psychology check; a success will endear the Giordanos to theinvestigators even more. If the investigators are successful in easing their grief, then Maria willalso give the investigators the necklace she is wearing. The necklace has a hinged cameo charmon it with a small photo of Gabriela inside of it, (Player Handout #4).


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The investigators may use Fast Talk to filter through all of the information that the Giordanosare voluntarily providing to them, in order to boil it down to the most important clues. Asuccessful skill check will provide the following information to the investigators:

The boys have had a hard time integrating into their new school. Their teacher, Mrs.

Birdswell, is very concerned about them. (See the Colonial Cove Public School leadbelow)

The Giordanos have gotten a few complaints from some of the other neighborhood parents that the boys have been fighting with the neighborhood boys. (See theNeighborhood Boys lead below)

Maria tells them that the boys are very emotional, and they miss their parents terribly.She begs the investigators that should they find the boys, for them to not tell them thattheir parents have died. Because it would devastate them, and she doesnt want to put theboys through anymore tragedy.

If the investigators were unsuccessful in their Fast Talk roll, the Giordanos are just clueless andcant think of anything that would be helpful to them, but will want their contact info so they canreach the investigators in case they do think of something. The investigators may attempt Idea checks to see if they can figure out the Colonial Cove Public School and NeighborhoodBoys leads themselves.

Colonial Cove Public School

The school is location D on the Colonial Cove map, (Game Map #1). Depending on when the

investigators visit the school, there may or may not be any students; faculty members areavailable for a few hours after the classes are dismissed. Again, being set in the 1920s, schoolsecurity is lax, so any strangers on campus with any kind of air of authority are at least politelytolerated and addressed. Only strangers that project hostility or look like a hobo are run-offimmediately.

As the investigators enter the school, they see an elderly man, Mr. Giles Powell the janitor,sweeping the hall with a broom. Mr. Powell can direct the investigators to Mrs. Birdswellsclassroom or to Principal Fords office.

Mrs. Eleanor Birdswells classroom is quaint and simple. The room has twenty childrens desks;the classic one-piece chair/desk piece of furniture with a hinged desktop lid over a bin for thestorage of each childs school supplies. The room also has a large chalk board and a largewooden desk and chair for the teacher. When the investigators enter the room, Mrs. Birdswell isgrading some papers. The investigators need to make a successful Credit Rating check to justifytheir presence and need to talk to her, investigators with any type of education occupation get a+15% to their bonus. Without this successful skill check, she will insist that they speak toPrincipal Ford, and she will escort them to him. If they are successful in their skill check, then


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they may attempt a Fast Talk roll to gain some information from her about the Macario boys. Asuccessful roll reveals:

The boys were quick to get angry when things didnt go their way. Mrs. Birdswell has overheard them talking to some of the other kids about joining their

club, (she has no idea what club it is/was, and assumes that it mustve been some kind of game they were playing).

A couple of the other missing boys were also from her class, (Keepers can make up thosenames).

Mrs. Birdswell can point out each of the boys desks.

Searching Faustinos desk with a successful Spot Hidden roll will reveal some hidden artworkdrawn by the boys, (Player Handouts #5a and #5b). Each piece of art seems to be a similar scenefrom two different perspectives. Francescos art depicts long clawed arms coming out of a blackcircle on the ground grabbing a boy in terror with Faustino in the background watching the event

sadly. Faustinos art depicts long clawed arms coming out of a black circle on the groundgrabbing a boy in terror with Francesco in the background watching the event happily;Francescos eyes are red. Because neither piece of art is signed, so it is impossible to knowwhich brother did which piece of art or which brother is depicted in each piece of art. Viewingthe artwork is a 1/1d3 Sanity check. In addition, investigators viewing the art may try an Art skill check, (or Art: Drawing or Art: Appraisal skill check); a successful roll grants them + 1%Cthulhu Mythos .

Principal David Fords office is neat and clean. The investigators will need a successful CreditRating roll to justify their need to talk to him; investigators with any type of education

occupation get a +15% bonus. Principal Ford can confirm that the Macario boys were troubled boys that have already been sent to his office in the short time that they have been attendingCCPS. Principal Ford knows very little about the boys beyond their disciplinary issues. If theinvestigators ask to see the boys official school records, Principal Ford is happy to share it withthem. With a successful Accounting roll, the investigators discover a transcript about the boysclubhouse in St. Michaels Memorial Gardens. If the investigators miss the opportunity for thisclue, they should be able to get it in the Neighborhood Boys scene below.

Neighborhood Boys

If the investigators dont think to interview the neighborhood boys on their own, then the Keepermay grant them an Idea check for it. The investigators can find the neighborhood boys playing agame of stickball on Potee St. on the Colonial Cove map, (Game Map #1). None of the boys,(approximately 12 15 of them), are individually named here, so if need be the Keeper can namethem for the investigators. It takes a successful Fast Talk or Persuade roll to get informationfrom the boys, with female investigators of APP 15 or greater gaining a +10% bonus, andanyone providing a bribe gaining a +10% bonus to their roll.


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The boys tell the investigators that the Faustino and Francesco wanted them to join theirclub; (a successful Know roll will inform the investigator that a club is slang for agang. The Macario twins were trying to start a gang).

The Macario clubhouse is an old mausoleum in St. Michaels Memorial Gardens.

If asked, three of the boys will guide the investigators to the clubhouse, but they refuse to go intothe old mausoleum.

St. Michaels Memorial Gardens

The mausoleum clubhouse is located within location F on the Colonial Cove map, (GameMap #1). Location E on the Game Map #1 is St. Michaels Catholic Church. The grounds ofSt. Michaels church and cemetery are old and overgrown. Huge trees, thick vegetation, and lots

of grand tombstones and mausoleums have turned St. Michaels Memorial Gardens into a virtualmaze. It is quite easy to get lost in the cemetery. A successful Navigate skill check is required totravel through the cemetery, with the requirement that the individual already has a reasonableunderstanding of his destinations location in the cemetery. Without any destination knowledge,then a Luck roll is required, with a -15% penalty, to reach the intended destination. If theinvestigators allow the trio of neighborhood boys to guide them to the Macario clubhouse, thenthe success of finding the exact mausoleum is automatic.

The main entrance to the cemetery is on Hanover St, next to St. Michaels Catholic Church.There is also a secondary side entrance on Redbird St. If the investigators scout out the

mausoleum ahead of time, they will learn that the mausoleum looks old, broken down, and indisrepair. It is the old mausoleum for the La Croix family. It is possible to gather someinformation about the mausoleum and the La Croix family in the archived church records in St.Michaels Catholic Church.

St. Michaels is a poor church that runs a soup kitchen and provides shelter for the homeless. Fr.Enrique Domingo is the current priest; he is 60 years old, and has been at St. Michaels forfifteen years. Fr. Domingo is very active, so the investigators will need a successful CreditRating roll to get a moment of his time; the investigators are not able to search the archivedchurch records without Fr. Domingos blessing. Investigators that donate at least two dollars to

the church will get a +15% bonus to their roll.

The investigators may also try a Fast Talk roll to see if Fr. Domingo has any other informationabout the old mausoleum or the cemetery in general. With a successful roll, Fr. Domingo tellsthem:


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Fr. Domingo has had a problem recently of boys vandalizing some of the headstones. Thevandalism includes the damaging of some headstones and the break-in of some of the

family mausoleums. Fr. Domingo used to employ some of the more unfortunate men who use St. Michaels as

a shelter to clean and tend the cemetery, but the vandals have also taken to beating up on

the homeless men. To the point now where none of the homeless will accept any work inthe cemetery.

Many of the men that St. Michaels used to give shelter to have disappeared without atrace; no doubt driven off by the vandals, Fr. Domingo surmises.

The archived church records are located in the churchs cold, but dry, basement. A successfulLibrary Use roll is required to find La Croix family records, three large hand-written tomes ofgemological and church history. The following information is fairly easy to acquire; it takes onehour to gather the following information:

The La Croix familys earliest records document Pierre and Evelyn La Croix joining thechurch on March 15 th , 1785, with the baptism of their first son, Jean Paul.

The books contain the list of seven more children born to Pierre and Evelyn. The history begins to get quite extensive as the La Croix family tree begins to grow and

expand as sons take wives, and daughters join some of the other church families.

A long and careful read of the tomes, (eight hours minimum), along with a successfulAccounting check is required to find the detailed information below. Each additional hourinvested researching the tomes, past the minimum required, will grant a +5% bonus per hour tothe investigators skill roll. The extra information found is:

August 19 th , 1802 The La Croix family request prayer for the return of their son, Jean Paul, who has run away from home.

July 3 rd , 1805 The La Croix family celebrates the return of their lost son. July 12 th , 1805 The La Croix family is horrified by the changes in their son, both

physically and mentally. They petition the church to perform an exorcism. August 8 th , 1805 Fr. James Francis petitions the diocese for an exorcism. December 4 th , 1805 Cardinal Edward Talbot arrives to perform the La Croix exorcism. December 5 th , 1805 Jean Paul La Croix is sequestered by his parents into an attic room

in their home. Many sketches and papers written by Jean Paul are declared blasphemousand destroyed. (Except for one scrap of paper with a strange sketch on it that is found inthe tome next to this entry.) Give the investigators Player Handout #6.

December 7 th , 1805 The exorcism ends with Jean Pauls death, due to a sudden heartattack as the Devil was expelled from his soul.

December 7 th , 1805 Jean Paul La Croix is interned in the family tomb.

No other information is available in the tome on Jean Paul La Croix, including how he became possessed, what that strange symbol represents, or why he was buried on the same day he died.


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In truth, Jean Paul dropped out of polite society at age seventeen, and he soon found himself inthe seedy underbelly of Baltimore. It was there, living like a hobo, that Jean Paul discovered aclan of ghouls. Fascinated by them, he slowly worked his way into their society. He learnedabout their culture, ecology, and this clans worship of The One Who Waits in the Dark, until

finally he began to change into a ghoul himself. The changes in his mind and body frightenedhim, so he fled the ghouls and returned to his family.

Jean Pauls transformation continued, until his family finally turned to the church for help, believing him to be possessed by the Devil himself. As Jean Pauls mind continued to reshapeitself into a ghouls mind, he began writing journals and making sketches to document hiseducation with the ghoul clan. As noted above, all of his writings were destroyed by the church,except for a strange sketch of a lidless eye within an inverted triangle. This sketch is a symbol,(one of many), for the Chapel of Contemplation, an ancient cult for The One Who Waits in theDark.

As luck would have it, it was on the day of his exorcism that Jean Pauls conversion into a ghoulwas finally going to culminate. There was a great contest of wills on that day, between CardinalTalbot and Jean Paul, and in the end just as Jean Pauls final vestige of humanity faded away, hisnew ghoul body went into a massive seizure and then collapsed. Cardinal Talbot and the LaCroix family believed that the exorcism worked, but at the cost of Jean Pauls life; when inreality, his new body suddenly snapped into a deep hibernation after its dramatic conversion.Cardinal Talbot entombed Jean Paul on the same day of his death to prevent anyone outside theimmediate family from viewing the horror that Jean Paul had become.

The Macario Clubhouse

Once Faustino and Francesco were moved to Baltimore, the spark of Walter Corbitt in Francescoremembered a ghoul once known as Jean Paul La Croix that lived in Baltimore. Francesco,(driven by Corbitt), lead his brother in search of the ghoul, Jean Paul. After much searching, the

boys finally found the La Croix family mausoleum, and within the mausoleum they discovered ahidden doorway to the ghouls den under St. Michaels Memorial Gardens. Corbitt knew aboutJean Paul and the ghouls in Baltimore because they too worship The One Who Waits in the Dark,as records in the Boston chapter of the Chapel of Contemplation noted.

The Macario Clubhouse (Game Map #2)

1. The door to this mausoleum is old and in severe disrepair. Once upon a time, there was aniron gate over heavy oak door, but when the investigators come to the mausoleum theyfind the old wrought iron gate discarded to the wayside. The gate is peppered in rust andovergrown weeds and ivy have laced through the gate and holds it firmly to the ground.So it is obvious that the gate has been off its hinges for years. The oak door is swollen


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and very difficult to move. The door is stuck half-way open. If the investigators want totry and move the door, they need to do an opposed roll on the Resistance Table of STRvs. STR; the door has a STR 20 .

2. The center chamber has decorative tile inlaid in the floor, with marble on the walls, and a

glass dome ceiling above. All of the glass in the dome ceiling above has long ago been broken out, so rain and leaves can freely fall into this part of the mausoleum. There are acouple of decorative urns in artistic niches on the curved walls in this room. There areabandoned birds nests in the urns.

3. Each chamber of the mausoleum holds 36 individual tombs for the La Croix family. Eachwall of each chamber is six tombs wide, by three tombs high. Each tomb has a marbleseal with the decedents name, birth, and death dates. The end of each chamber also has asmall leaded stained glass window. All of the floors in each chamber are covered in dustand leaves. There are also child-sized footprints all over the place. The chaos of

footprints masks which tomb is the entrance to the ghouls den. If the investigatorsattempt to open any of the tombs, it requires a STR vs. STR test on the Resistance Table,with the tomb seals varying in strength from STR 7 STR 11 . Other than the tombsnoted below, they always find a coffin with a long dead corpse within.

4. If the investigators are aware of Jean Paul, and are specifically looking for his tomb, thenthey are able to find it in less than ten minutes without any skill checks. The seal on JeanPauls tomb reads, Jean Paul La Croix, Jan. 9, 1785 Dec. 7, 1805 . His tomb is topone in that column of tombs. A successful Spot Hidden check will reveal that the groutaround the marble seal is broken and crumbled away. Investigators of SIZ 16 or greater

are tall enough to reach Jean Pauls tomb; shorter investigators will need to devise a wayto reach the tomb, if they so desire it. Removing the seal is a STR vs. STR contest on theResistance Table; the seal has STR 10 . To the investigators surprise, (or maybe not),Jean Pauls coffin within his tomb is empty!

5. Because so many of the tombs in this mausoleum are in such disrepair, it takes threesuccessful Spot Hidden checks to finally zero-in on the correct tomb that hides theentrance to the ghouls den. With the third successful skill roll, the investigators notice atomb seal that not only has broken grout, but there is a strange symbol carved into theface of the seal. The symbol is of a lidless eye within an inverted triangle, one of thesigns for the Chapel of Contemplation. If the investigators encountered the symbol for thechapel in The Haunting , then the Keeper should allow an Idea check for them torecognize that this symbol, although slightly different, is most likely similar in origin andmeaning. The seal on this tomb reads, Evelyn La Croix, Oct. 10, 1766 Nov. 19, 1809 ,with the chapels symbol carved into the seal above Evelyns name. The first investigatorto touch the seal must make a 0/1 Sanity check as the magical ward, (the symbol for thechapel), zaps the investigator with a 1 hit point of damage electrical shock. After the firsttouch, the ward is drained of energy, but any investigator that touches the seal now feels


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an irritating tingle on their foreheads. The sensation ceases once they stop touching theseal. Once the seal is removed, (this seal is STR 7 ), the investigators notice a wroughtiron handle has been bolted to the back-side of the seal. Evelyns tomb is located at the

bottom of the column her tomb is in, so the bottom of her tomb is level with the floor ofthe mausoleum. The inside of her tomb is completely empty, not even a coffin; inside, the

investigators see a tunnel dug into the ground. Evelyns tomb is the entrance to theghouls den, and leads to area 1 on The Ghouls Den map.

The Ghouls Den

For more than a century, the ghoul once known as Jean Paul La Croix has been tunneling underSt. Michaels Memorial Garden. His network of tunnels was dug so he could raid freshly buried

bodies. Jean Pauls secret entrance to the cemetery grounds is in his old family mausoleum, andhis primary den is deep in the network of tunnels, area 4 below.

The Ghouls Den (Game Map #3)

1. The Dens Entrance: This hand-dug chamber is approximately 10 round, with a steepramp that leads up to Evelyns tomb in the La Croix family mausoleum above. The ramphas hand/foot holds dug into it, making it a very easy to climb up or down, (a +20%

bonus to the Climb skill). The chamber is dank and smells of rotting earth. The floor ofthe chamber moist, with a small puddle of muddy water pooled in the center of thechamber. The networks of tunnels crisscrossing throughout cemetery that connect thevarious chambers are all quite narrow. In fact, all of the tunnels are so small that people

must crawl on their hands and knees in single file to move through them. If theinvestigators are attempting to travel in a particular direction, or explore for a specificknown location, will need a successful Navigate roll. Like the Dens Entrance, thetunnels are damp with small grass roots dangling from the ceiling, and they smell ofrotting earth. A slick of water runs throughout the tunnels. It is impossible for someone tocrawl through here without getting filthy from head to toe. Any investigator SIZ 12 orhigher must make a 0/0 Sanity check; anyone failing this check refuses to be first tocrawl into the tunnels. Any investigator with an existing phobia to darkness, tight spaces,or anything else that the Keeper feels is applicable also needs to make a 0/1 Sanity check; anyone failing a sanity check against an existing phobia will need to be

successfully Persuaded by a fellow investigator before they will crawl through theghouls tunnels. On occasion, the investigators will encounter one or two rats in thetunnels. The rats never attack; they always run away when an investigator gets near them.

2. Coffins: Each of these tunnels ends in a small chamber that measures approximately 8wide, 4 deep, and 5 tall. Each chamber has one coffin in it. Each coffin is empty.


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3. Continuing Network: These tunnels continue off the map and lead to other coffinchambers. Keepers may either run curious investigators through these tunnels on-the-fly,or they may have the investigators encounter things like a massive hoard of rats that are

protecting a nest, and thus do not run away when the investigators get nearer, they attack.Keepers should reference the Rats entry in the Call of Cthulhu core rulebook. Or, the

Keeper can have the investigators encounter a collapsed part of the tunnel, thus forcingthem to go into another direction. The only entrances/exits to this maze of tunnels is area1 noted above, and area 4 noted below.

4. Jean Pauls Den: This chamber is huge. Jean Paul has been working for the better part ofa century on it. As the investigators are crawling toward this chamber, they can see a lightsource ahead of them emanating from the den. The smell of rot is even worse as theycrawl closer to this chamber. As the investigators enter this chamber, they can see that theden is well lit by six lanterns hung throughout the room. The floor is covered in crushedand broken bones, some are animal bones, but there are scores and scores of human

bones. There are also piles of bones in a couple of corners. One wall of the chamber has ahuge copy of the Chapel of Contemplation symbol, and a small alter below it. Hiddenunder the small alter is a wooden box, and within that box is an English copy of TheCult of Ghouls , (detailed in the Mythos Grimoire section below); a successful SpotHidden check is required to find the wooden box. There is an old wooden table next to aring of stones around an extinguished campfire. The nude torso, head, and arms of a boylay on the table. Seeing the dead boy on the table requires a 1/1d6 Sanity check, but ifany investigator saw Det. Clarks crime photos of Wesley Farnsworth will recognize theremains on the table as Wesley, and must make a 1d2/1d6+1 Sanity check instead. Thereare a few wooden pallets on the floor with some moldy blankets on them, and at the back

of the chamber is a huge exposed clay sewer pipe. The pipe is 6 in diameter, and it has ahuge break in the pipe, exposing the sewage flowing out to Chesapeake Bay. Theinvestigators have also found Faustino and Francesco, they are covered in dried filth andmud, but otherwise they look no worse for wear. The ghoul, Jean Paul, is not in thechamber.

At this point, the investigators may suspect that one or both of the boys may be possessed by thespirit of Walter Corbitt, but it is also possible that they are completely unaware of Corbittsinfluence. Either way, Corbitt believes that he has been discovered, and that they know that he iswithin Francesco. But before Corbitt can act, and before the investigators can act, Faustino

points at his brother and yells out to the investigators, Help! My brother is possessed by the Devil! Corbitt/Francesco then immediately reacts and says, Not me! Please help my brother;hes been possessed by the Devil , while pointing at Faustino. Unless all of the investigatorsmade successful Sneak rolls while crawling through either of the tunnels that lead into the den,Corbitt was aware that the investigators were coming into the chamber, and has already castFlesh Ward on himself.


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The boys will continue to try and convince the investigators that the other boy is the one possessed until the investigators choose to act. If any investigator tries to apprehend Francesco/Corbitt, that is when Corbitt will choose to change his tactics and go on the offense. He will graban iron rod that was leaning against the wall right behind him, and lash out at the investigators.When Corbitt finally decides to go on the offense, Francescos eyes begin to glow with a red

light. Corbitt will taunt the investigators during combat, telling them that striking at him will killthe boy, Francesco, but he will just leap into a new body and continue to live on. This part is alie, when Corbitt transferred a piece of his mind into Francesco, it cost him use of the Dominate spell. Corbitt is hoping that his lie will cause the investigators to delay and hold their actionslong enough for him to either kill them, or have the ghoul, Jean Paul, return. Another combattactic Keepers might consider is to have Corbitt grab Faustino and use him as a hostage orhuman shield until Jean Paul returns.

The Keeper might also want to use the initial five combat rounds for Corbitt to give a classicvillain monologue. Corbitt can boast about the rebirth of the Chapel of Contemplation, and how

The One Who Waits in the Dark will conquer the earth and bathe in the blood of the fallen. Or hecan tell the investigators how easy it was to bully and lure the children to the mausoleum so theycould be sacrificed upon an alter of blood and bone. After the fifth combat round, the ghoul JeanPaul will arrive, and the investigators will be too preoccupied to listen to Corbitt monologue.

It is impossible for the investigators to physically expel Corbitt from Francescos mind, but if theinvestigators tell the boys that their parents are dead, (against Maria Giordanos wishes), then

both boys are overcome with unbelievable grief. Faustino begins to wail and cry immediately, but Francesco goes into an internal conflict that is apparent to everyone around him. The Keepershould then grant all of the investigators an Idea check. A successful roll will clue that

investigator into the fact that Francesco is now in a battle of wills with the fiend Corbitt withinhis mind. The successful roll also informs the investigator that they can help Francesco in his battle by reminding him of the depth of his loss; he can never hug his mom again, never kiss heragain, or hear her voice again. Any investigator trying to help Francesco in his battle with Corbittmust make a POW vs. POW contest against the Corbitt side of Francesco on the ResistanceTable. If three investigators are successful in this contest, then the spirit of Corbitt is successfullydestroyed, and Francesco is freed. If the investigators have Marias cameo necklace, (PlayerHandout #4), and they show it to Francesco during this conflict, then that automatically achievesone of the three successes they needed.

If combat lasts for five rounds, then at the beginning of the sixth round, the ghoul Jean Paulenters the chamber from the open sewer pipe. The investigators may try a Listen check with a+15% bonus, (due to the echoing in the sewer pipe), at the end of the fifth combat round. Asuccessful check will alert that investigator to someone approaching the chamber from the sewer.If any of the investigators were positioned to look into the sewer, looking for approachingdanger, may first try a Spot Hidden check, with a -15% penalty due to darkness, to see theapproaching ghoul. The Listen check is only done right as the ghoul approaches the break in the

pipe that leads into the chamber. If all of the investigators fail their Spot Hidden and/or Listen


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checks, then the ghoul can make a surprise attack against them as he leaps into the chamber. Theinvestigators must make a 0/1d6 Sanity check when the ghoul enters the chamber. If the Keeperhas a particularly strong or aggressive party of investigators, and wants to ramp-up the level ofdanger, then he can have Jean Paul bring one or two other ghouls along with him. If three ormore ghouls arrive all at once, then the investigators will automatically lose the maximum sanity

loss on a failed sanity check, 6 Sanity . When the ghoul Jean Paul enters the chamber, show theinvestigators Player Handout #7.

Conclusion

If the investigators are able to rescue both boys and return them safely to the Giordanos, thenthey are paid the $550 reward. If for some reason Francesco should die, and only Faustino isreturned to the Giordanos, then they will still pay the entire reward to the investigators, but onlyafter they learn the conditions of his death. If the investigators did everything they could to save

Francesco, but had to kill him as an act of mercy, then Faustino will support whatever story theinvestigators tell the Giordanos and the authorities. If the investigators were cruel, andFrancescos death might have been unnecessary, then Faustino will tell his side of the story,resulting in the investigators being arrested by Det. Clark. If the investigators are arrested, thenthe Keeper may want to design an adventure where they have to clear their name by showingDet. Clark the ghouls hidden den.

The Rewards

If the investigators successfully expel Corbitt from Francescos mind, and return both boys home safely, then each investigator gains 1d10 Sanity. If the investigators only save Faustino, and Francesco died only as a last resort, then each

investigator gains 1d6 Sanity. If the investigators only save Faustino, and Francesco died recklessly or unnecessarily,

then each investigator loses 1d6 Sanity. If the investigators defeat the ghoul Jean Paul, then each investigator gains 1d6 Sanity.

Mythos Grimoire

The Cult of Ghouls , (English translation of Cultes Des Goules): Translated by: Joseph Curwen,Weeks to study: 20, Sanity loss: 1d4/1d10, Cthulhu Mythos: +11%, Spells: Black Binding, Call/Dismiss Shub-Niggurath, Call/Dismiss The One Who Waits in the Dark*, Contact Ghoul,Resurrection, Shriveling, Summon/Bind Byakhee, and Voorish Sign. (*This spell is similar toCall/Dismiss Skinless One, since The One Who Waits in the Dark is yet another avatar of

Nyarlathotep. This spell cost the caster and participants a varying amount of magic points, and1d10 Sanity points to the caster. A blood sacrifice in total darkness is required to complete the


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spell, with each sacrifice increasing the percentage to complete the spell by 1%. The form of thisavatar is that of an animated two-dimensional shadow of SIZ 20 . Keepers are encouraged todesign the stats for this avatar to fit the needs of their game, should someone be foolish enoughto call him.)

Flesh Ward : Grants protection against physical attack. The spell costs 1d4 Sanity points and avarying amount of magic points. Each magic point spent gives the caster, or chosen target, 1d6

points of armor against non-magical attacks. This protection wears off as it blocks damage. Thespell takes five rounds to cast, and lasts 24 hours, or until the protection is used up. Once cast,the spell may not be reinforced with further magic points, nor recast until the old spells

protection has been used up.

Non-Player Characters

FAUSTINO MACARIOConcerned TwinSTR 07 CON 10 SIZ 09 INT 15 POW 14DEX 14 APP 16 EDU 05 SAN 85 HP 10Damage Bonus: -1d4Weapons: noneSkills: Hide 75%, Listen 60%, Twin Empathy 80%

FRANCESCO MACARIO / (WALTER CORBITT)Haunted Twin

STR 07 (18) CON 10 (22) SIZ 09 INT 15 (16) POW 14 (18)DEX 14 APP 16 EDU 05 SAN 20 HP 10 (16)Damage Bonus: -1d4 (+1d4)Weapons: Iron rod (attack: 25%, damage: 1d8+DB)Spells: Flesh Ward, Shriveling, and Summon/Bind Dimensional ShamblerSkills: Conceal 30%, Cthulhu Mythos 18%, Listen 60%, Mislead 65%, Sneak 80%, TwinEmpathy 10%Sanity Loss: none

JEAN PAUL LA CROIXGhoulSTR 17 CON 14 SIZ 10 INT 13 POW 13 DEX 15Move 9 HP 12Damage Bonus: +1d4Weapons: Claws 30%, damage 1d6+DB; Bite 30%, damage 1d6 + automatic worry (see creaturelisting in core rulebook)Spells: Black Binding, Shriveling, and Summon/Bind Byakhee


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Skills: Burrow 75%, Climb 85%, Hide 60%, Jump 75%, Listen 70%, Scent Decay 65%, Sneak80%, Spot Hidden 50%Sanity Loss: 0/1d6

Player Handouts

Player Handout #1


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Player Handout #2


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Player Handout #3

Player Handout #4


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Player Handout #5a

Player Handout #5b


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Player Handout #6


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Player Handout #7

Game Maps

Game Map #1: Colonial Cove


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Game Map #2: The Macario Clubhouse

Game Map #3: The Ghouls Den


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Documents

Scenario the Haunted